God of War
by Artemis3737
Summary: Sequel to "Good Shot". Mac and Jack are kidnapped for the use of Mac's skills. AKA: The one where Jack finds out. **THE SECOND CHAPTER IS FIXED**
1. Ares

"Mac?" Jack asked, looking for his partner in his house.

All of a sudden, Mac appeared, entering the house from the deck, "Hey, Jack. What's up?"

Jack was perplexed, "What do you mean? You called me here."

Mac sighed, "Do we ever get a break? I never called you, Jack."

That was Jack's cue to get his gun that was tucked in his pants. He went room to room, checking to see if anyone was there. No one was. Then, the doorbell rang.

Jack's eyes went wide, "Mac, stay behind me. Okay?"

Mac nodded, and then they both walked to the door. Jack held his gun up and opened the door quickly. Of course, they just had to get knocked out _before_ seeing or even reacting to the assailant.

* * *

Mac woke up to Jack calling his name. He opened his eyes and wanted to observe his surroundings. But, to be honest, Mac just wanted to observe Jack and himself. So, he did. They were both tied with rope to wooden chairs that were bolted to the floor. He did not feel drugged, and Jack did not look drugged. There was no blood, so he considered them both okay.

"Done?" Jack asked genuinely, since he recognized almost every one of his partner's faces.

"Yeah. Are you feeling okay?" Mac asked, hoping the answer was yes.

"Yep. You?" Jack asked, feeling okay, but still more concerned with Mac's health than his own.

"I'm good. Any idea what crazy psychotic killer got us this time?" Mac said, grinning and chuckling.

"Well, there's always Murdoc. But then again, there are also some other people you pissed off. Hell, most of the dark web probably knows who you are. Or, what if someone collected on a bounty for you?" Jack replied with his own grin.

"Whew! We need to make less friends." Mac said, still enjoying their little talk.

Jack huffed, "Okay. If I _have_ to lose the southern charm…"

Mac and Jack both broke out laughing, a unique act when two are kidnapped (especially when two are talking about the kidnapping).

Their conversation was interrupted by a man entering the room, to which Mac's face grew very pale. He didn't look too hot.

Mac looked bewildered, "You can't be here. You- you died."

The man beamed, "Well, I'm back. And I have a job for 'Ares'.

Jack looked baffled, "If you are talking about what I think you're talking about, you are wasting your breath. He is just a legend in the Army so snipers can try to shoot as good as him. Plus, even if he was real, we wouldn't know where to find him. Right, Mac?"

Mac was speechless. He couldn't talk, he couldn't breathe. He needed oxygen, but his lungs didn't want to work. So, he settled for holding his breath instead of panicking.

Jack's eyes were wide, "Mac, _breathe_! What's going on?"

The man beamed with an evil grin, "Oh, joy! Zeus doesn't know your tiny, little, nanoscale secret, does he? I mean, it's not like it started the chain reaction of you meeting him, right? This'll be fun."

Jack looked confused, "I know I failed mythology in school, but I think Zeus is the father of Ares. Who is my 'son'?

This resulted in awkward staring at one another. Mac looked at Jack, and then lowered his head. The man looked at Mac, then at Jack.

Jack looked up at the ceiling, "I hope to God that you guys aren't implying what I think you are implying."

Mac pursed his lips, "Sorry, Jack. I- I couldn't."

Jack looked liked someone had just physically punched him in the gut. He didn't even respond; he just looked blankly at another wall.

The man grinned, "Now that that's over, I have a job for you, Ares."

Jack looked at him in disbelief, "First of all, he ain't doin' nothin' he don't want to. Second, must you call him that?"

The man continued as if no one had interrupted him, "I have a target. But, because of _privacy_ issues, I will not give you the dossier until you are fully compliant. So, I will give you the incentive to do so."

Without warning to properly prepare, the man punched Mac _hard_ in the stomach. He might have heard a crack. Pain was the only thing he really thought of as he inhaled sharply, ribs moving and becoming irritated.

"That is one-fourth of the pain your buddy over here will feel if you do not take this job," the man said, excitement etched into his words.

Jack sat up straighter, visibly tensing, "Mac, don't. I can handle a little bit of pain. Besides, this is nothing compared to Cairo. Right?"

Mac wasn't relieved, "Yet. This isn't like Cairo _yet_. Plus, we don't talk about Cairo.

Without hesitation, the man punched Jack in the stomach. And, like he told Mac, it probably hurt four times worse. Mac _definitely_ heard a loud crack, and by the way Jack looked, he had most likely broken a rib.

Mac didn't care anymore, "Fine. I'll do it."

Mac would never forget Jack's face after he said that. It was ingrained in his head now; the disbelief, betrayal, and shock.

"Mac…" Jack said, close to tears.

"Jack, do you remember when you said that no one would ever hurt me again with you around?" Mac said, continuing after his partner nodded, "Well, it is likewise, brother. I would go through hell and high waters for you. I know this hurts - the same thing happened to me - but I promise you that I would do anything for you. And I mean it. If I die saving you, then it was worth it. My whole life was worth it, but only if you survive. So, right now, just in case anything happens, I just wanted to say thank you. For every single damn thing you have done for me, Jack Dalton. See you on the other side. _Bacef Avellaneda_ \- Bye, friend."

With that, Mac was untied and led out of the room. He was taken up a floor by stairs and led into another room.

"Our target's name is…"


	2. Apollo

**Thank you so much for telling me about the computer codes! I have no idea how it happened and wouldn't have noticed if you guys had not pointed it out. So, here it is, un-codified. XD**

Mac stared through the gun's scope. If he wasn't in this situation right now, he would call it an absolute beauty. It was a McMillan TAC-50 rifle, and, boy, was it gorgeous. If his whole unit hadn't been destroyed by a bomb, he would have probably gone on a hunting trip with it.

But, he was, and they were. So, he focused on the 'task' at hand until Jack came. _In that long emotional speech, you didn't really think there weren't any clues, right?_

_Bacef Avellaneda._ There isn't a language on _Earth_ where that means 'Bye, friend'. But, the man (Asadi Gulrez; his group and him came from Afghanistan to hunt targets) wasn't paying attention, so Mac slipped Jack a clue. He knew where the base of operations was because of _previous experiences_. Bacef equals 21356 in the a = 1 cipher code and Avellaneda starts with _av_, which stands for Avalon Blvd. It isn't Aviation Blvd. or Avenue of the Stars because they do not have addresses with five digits. So, the location is 21356 Avalon Blvd., a police station. _Now, here's to hoping that Jack will know what the hell I am talking about and find me - before anyone gets killed._

So, all Mac could do was _wait._ The target was basically just an obstacle in the way of Gulrez's plans to assassinate someone that Mac didn't know. "You do not need to know; it's useless!" was his exact words.

Of course, Mac wasn't going to do it. But, as the minutes passed by, he wondered if Jack was even coming. _Maybe the clue was too complicated. Maybe Jack couldn't escape..._

Static came from his comm, "Target on route. Be prepared."

Mac sighed, "Copy. Any alternative to this?"

A longer static filled his ear, "I think you know the answer. Remember who we have."

The former sniper sighed again even harder and wanted to throw a tantrum. _This isn't fair! Jack was being held by terrorists, and he was about to shoot someone!_

His thoughts were interrupted, as there was motion on another roof. He looked closer with his scope and, after seeing, wanted to have the power to fly. Jack, Gulrez, and the target were all on the roof. _What is happening?_

Jack was holding his ribs; Mac was probably right before. One or more was most likely broken. He and the target were in handcuffs while Gulrez pointed a gun at both of them.

His comm crackled, "Kill the target, or I kill your brother."

_Oh._ That was the reason. "What if I just kill you?"

Mac saw the smile on Gulrez's face, "Because I am wearing a bomb vest. If _anything_ that I don't like happens, all I have to do is signal one of my men to trigger the bomb. If I am too dead to do so, this beautiful machine cannot feel my heartbeat, and it will automatically detonate."

Realization dawned on Mac. _That_ was why Jack was taken with him. He was going to be used as leverage. Sure, he was used as motivation, but, this way, someone _had_ to die. No one could rush back to a building Jack would be at. If Jack _was_ in a random building, he would at least be away from the bomb. Instead, he died if anything bad happened, automatically, 100%. _This sucks._

A sigh came from the comm, "What are you waiting for?"

Mac squirmed. He didn't know what to do. He had to kill someone in cold blood. But, it was for Jack. But it was cold blood. But, Jack was his brother and partner! _Why am I even contemplating this?_

Mac was frozen. His finger rested on the trigger, ready to push down. But, he wasn't going to take this lightly. Before he _could_ decide anything, a shot rang out (not his own) and Gulrez was on the floor.

_No, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening. No. No way._ There was blood seeping on the roof from a shot in Gulrez's chest…

_No pulse. No pulse. No pulse. This can't be happening!_

As Mac watched through the scope, Jack knocked out the target and bent down to Gulrez. _Probably hell on his ribs._ He got the comm out of the man's ear and put it in after knocking the terrorist out, not letting him signal anyone, "Mac, buddy, what do I do? I need to know ASAP. His pulse is weak."

Mac pushed all thoughts aside except the information needed to save everyone's life at this exact moment. _Bombs connected to pulse. Sensor. Movement trigger? Can it be taken off?_ The former EOD remembered his training that _included_ these types of things.

Mac took a deep breath, "Okay, Jack, I can walk you through this. The sensor to this bomb is right above Gulrez's heart, tracking his pulse even if he runs a marathon. The problem is that it will detonate the moment his pulse is gone. So, very carefully and quickly, you have to slide your wrist under the vest to replace the pulse. Now, it is going to hurt like hell, but I am going to run there the _second_ your wrist is in place. I can't leave now because I have to guide you though, okay?"

Jack nodded, "Alright. But, kid, what are the chances of this working, if any?"

Mac bit his bottom lip nervously, "I have no idea. This is completely new territory; terrorists didn't have this type of tech in the Middle East."

Jack nodded, "Well, I trust you. And there is no one else I would rather be with before my lights go out."

Mac smiled, "Same here. But, before his pulse goes away, how about we get started?"

Jack nodded and they got started. It was complicated, and they had a near explosion when Gulrez's gunshot decided to bleed more, but it ended well. Physically, at least. Mentally, with the whole secret thing, well, that was to be talked about at Mac's house later.

After giving an extraordinary story to Matty about a kidnapping, random sniper, and terrorist, it was all cleaned up. But, she probably knew anyway. Matty knew every secret in the government, especially if it is one of her own agent.

So, that is how Mac and Jack stood there. In Mac's house, the most fattest and biggest elephant in the room since the discovery of the elephant.

Jack spoke first, a look of concern on his face, "You okay?"

Mac pondered the answer, "I don't know."

Jack smiled and gave his partner the biggest hug a former delta could give, "Let me know when you want to talk about it. In the meantime, Die Hard and warm beer?"

Mac gave a small smile back, "As long as it isn't anything close to Full Metal Jacket, I'm in."

Jack nodded and got everything set up. By the middle of the movie, Mac was practically lying on Jack's lap.

The younger man fell asleep, giving time to Jack to ponder. _He'll be okay, and that is all that matters. You can't change the past, and you sure as hell do not have to change the future as a result of said past. I don't care about what happened in Mac's life if he doesn't want to tell me; we are brothers no matter what._ And that was definitive.

**Hope you enjoyed! So, I want this to be a series, but I have no idea what to do next. Maybe Riley finding out about Mac or hunting down the unknown shooter. Ooh! What if I combined those? XD Thanks for letting me ramble. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :-)**


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